Delegates at the Republican Party of Texas convention on Saturday voted to approve platform planks endorsing marijuana decriminalization, medical cannabis and industrial hemp. They are also calling for a change in cannabis's classification by the federal government.

Photo by Vince Chandler / The Denver Post

"We support a change in the law to make it a civil, and not a criminal, offense for legal adults only to possess one ounce or less of marijuana for personal use, punishable by a fine of up to $100, but without jail time," reads one of the party's new positions.

"Congress should remove cannabis from the list of Schedule 1," says another.

A third asks lawmakers to expand an existing state law that provides patients with limited access to low-THC medical cannabis extracts so that doctors can "determine the appropriate use of cannabis to certified patients."

And a fourth says industrial hemp is a "a valuable agricultural commodity."

That the official GOP organ in a red state like Texas would voice support for such far-reaching cannabis reforms is the latest sign of how mainstream marijuana has become in American politics.

Earlier this month, President Trump voiced support for pending bipartisan congressional legislation to let states implement their own marijuana legalization laws without federal interference. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is shepherding hemp legalization legislation to passage, with the support of Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

The Democratic Party of New York endorsed legalizing marijuana at its convention last month.

"Texas Republicans, like the majority of Americans, are ready to see more sensible marijuana policies enacted," Heather Fazio, coalition coordinator for Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy, said in an interview. "Our state wastes valuable criminal justice resources arresting between 60,000-70,000 Texans annually. Delegates took a stand this week for a better approach."

"While it would be preferable for cannabis to be de-scheduled entirely, this call by the Texas GOP signifies a very positive shift in opinion. Outright prohibition is not working and Texas Republicans want to see Congress take action to make cannabis more accessible."

The new planks cleared a multi-step process at the party convention—including testimony before and approval by two committees earlier this week—leading up to Saturday's vote by nearly 10,000 delegates.

Under current state law, possession of up to two ounces of marijuana is a criminal offense punishable by a jail sentence of up to six months and a fine of up to $2,000.

Lawmakers legalized medical use of low-THC medical cannabis extracts in 2015. During last year's legislative session, bills to provide more comprehensive medical cannabis access and to decriminalize marijuana got record support from lawmakers and advanced in committees, but the clock on the legislative session ran out before floor votes could occur.

Cannabis reform activists hope that the new official GOP endorsement will provide a boost leading into the next session, which begins in January.

"Under the current [medical cannabis] program, most patients are being left behind," Fazio said. "Texas conservatives are seeing the value of medical cannabis and want to see more inclusive access. Now we will take this to the Legislature for action during the 2019 legislative session."

At the party event this week, there were four cannabis-focused booths at which delegates could get information about the issue (three from supporters and one from an opposition group), marking the first year that marijuana organizations had a presence in the convention expo area, according to Fazio.

During a floor debate on platform planks on Saturday, one delegate moved to narrow the endorsement for hemp to cover support only "for the express purpose of non-consumable products," but that was defeated by the convention.

An earlier party platform, approved in 2016, contains a similar medical cannabis expansion plank (as well as a hemp one), but nothing on federal rescheduling or decriminalizing marijuana.

The party's new endorsement comes amid a contentious and close U.S. Senate race between Sen. Ted Cruz (R) who opposes legalization but has voiced support for respecting state cannabis laws, and Congressman Beto O'Rourke (D), who has long supported legalizing marijuana outright.

Meanwhile, a powerful Texas Republican, Rep. Pete Sessions, has used his perch as chairman of the House Rules Committee to block floor votes on cannabis issues in Congress over the past several years. His bid to be reelected in November is considered a toss up by the Cook Political Report.

Texas Democrats hold their convention next week. The party's current platform as adopted in 2016 supports decriminalizing marijuana and further legalizing and regulating its "use, cultivation, production, and sale as is done with tobacco and alcohol."

See the full text of the new Republican Party of Texas cannabis platform planks below, along with the percentages with which they were approved by delegates:

Civil Penalty: We support a change in the law to make it a civil, and not a criminal, offense for legal adults only to possess one ounce or less of marijuana for personal use, punishable by a fine of up to $100, but without jail time. Passed 81% - 19%.

Compassionate Use Act: We call upon the Texas Legislature to improve the 2015 Compassionate Use Act to allow doctors to determine the appropriate use of cannabis to certified patients. Passed 90% - 10%.

NYBF wrote:Good stuff. I'm actually surprised this hasn't been talked about as much (or maybe it has and I've completely missed it)

And a fourth says industrial hemp is a "a valuable agricultural commodity."

The hemp bills are about cultivation. It's legal in all 50 states to buy/consume hemp products.

some Big pharma dude last week said he expects full legalization within the next 5 years. Could come a lot faster an it's starting to look to me that Republicans are looking to steal the issue from Democrats ahead of the elections this fall. Clever.

NYBF wrote:Good stuff. I'm actually surprised this hasn't been talked about as much (or maybe it has and I've completely missed it)

The hemp bills are about cultivation. It's legal in all 50 states to buy/consume hemp products.

some Big pharma dude last week said he expects full legalization within the next 5 years. Could come a lot faster an it's starting to look to me that Republicans are looking to steal the issue from Democrats ahead of the elections this fall. Clever.

It's an issue with (relative) overwhelming support. The GOP can't stop it from happening even they wanted to, they could only slow the process.

Might as well accept it and score the political points for getting it through Congress.

Mountaineer Buc wrote:The hemp bills are about cultivation. It's legal in all 50 states to buy/consume hemp products.

some Big pharma dude last week said he expects full legalization within the next 5 years. Could come a lot faster an it's starting to look to me that Republicans are looking to steal the issue from Democrats ahead of the elections this fall. Clever.

It's an issue with (relative) overwhelming support. The GOP can't stop it from happening even they wanted to, they could only slow the process.

Might as well accept it and score the political points for getting it through Congress.

61% of the public is good with it so it makes for an easy campaign plank and old school Republican voters will be good with it once Fox News runs with it for a week or two.

NYBF wrote:Good stuff. I'm actually surprised this hasn't been talked about as much (or maybe it has and I've completely missed it)

The hemp bills are about cultivation. It's legal in all 50 states to buy/consume hemp products.

some Big pharma dude last week said he expects full legalization within the next 5 years. Could come a lot faster an it's starting to look to me that Republicans are looking to steal the issue from Democrats ahead of the elections this fall. Clever.

Mountaineer Buc wrote:The hemp bills are about cultivation. It's legal in all 50 states to buy/consume hemp products.

some Big pharma dude last week said he expects full legalization within the next 5 years. Could come a lot faster an it's starting to look to me that Republicans are looking to steal the issue from Democrats ahead of the elections this fall. Clever.

deltbucs wrote:I've said it once, I'll said it again. The DoJ just approved the Monsanto-Bayer merger. Big Pharma will soon own the Marjiuana seeds so it won't be a threat to them any more. It's going to be legal a lot sooner than people think.

deltbucs wrote:I've said it once, I'll said it again. The DoJ just approved the Monsanto-Bayer merger. Big Pharma will soon own the Marjiuana seeds so it won't be a threat to them any more. It's going to be legal a lot sooner than people think.

context I was missing

Yep...Exactly...Pretty funny how quickly **** starts changing when the people who really matter to the government want change.

deltbucs wrote:Yep...Exactly...Pretty funny how quickly **** starts changing when the people who really matter to the government want change.

Think they've been doing clandestine research of cannabis and are ready to start filing some patents?

This is going to be one industry it will be hard for them to corner. Sure, you can patent varieties of cannabis but you can't patent cannabis itself. Even if they could somehow destroy the already abundant variety and supply of seeds in the country all someone would have to do is breed some ditch weed over several generations and you have a new, unpatented variety.

Mountaineer Buc wrote:Think they've been doing clandestine research of cannabis and are ready to start filing some patents?

This is going to be one industry it will be hard for them to corner. Sure, you can patent varieties of cannabis but you can't patent cannabis itself. Even if they could somehow destroy the already abundant variety and supply of seeds in the country all someone would have to do is breed some ditch weed over several generations and you have a new, unpatented variety.

I wasn't thinking of cannabis itself or even strains of it. I was thinking of medications developed from cannabis.

Ask your doctor about Bonginol for your chronic pain.

Trouble sleeping? Try Budnizone

The thought here being they could use cannabis for pharma and even over the counter stuff. THC cough syrup and **** like that.

The Outsider wrote:This is going to be one industry it will be hard for them to corner. Sure, you can patent varieties of cannabis but you can't patent cannabis itself. Even if they could somehow destroy the already abundant variety and supply of seeds in the country all someone would have to do is breed some ditch weed over several generations and you have a new, unpatented variety.

I wasn't thinking of cannabis itself or even strains of it. I was thinking of medications developed from cannabis.

Ask your doctor about Bonginol for your chronic pain.

Trouble sleeping? Try Budnizone

The thought here being they could use cannabis for pharma and even over the counter stuff. THC cough syrup and **** like that.

What's the issue with that? If they spend the money to develop a new cough syrup/sleep aid/pain med out of THC that works, why shouldn't they be able to patent it?

The Outsider wrote:This is going to be one industry it will be hard for them to corner. Sure, you can patent varieties of cannabis but you can't patent cannabis itself. Even if they could somehow destroy the already abundant variety and supply of seeds in the country all someone would have to do is breed some ditch weed over several generations and you have a new, unpatented variety.

I wasn't thinking of cannabis itself or even strains of it. I was thinking of medications developed from cannabis.

Ask your doctor about Bonginol for your chronic pain.

Trouble sleeping? Try Budnizone

The thought here being they could use cannabis for pharma and even over the counter stuff. THC cough syrup and **** like that.

Mountaineer Buc wrote:Think they've been doing clandestine research of cannabis and are ready to start filing some patents?

This is going to be one industry it will be hard for them to corner. Sure, you can patent varieties of cannabis but you can't patent cannabis itself. Even if they could somehow destroy the already abundant variety and supply of seeds in the country all someone would have to do is breed some ditch weed over several generations and you have a new, unpatented variety.

They can't patent, say, corn...the most produced crop in the US by far, but 85% of U.S. corn is grown from Monsanto patented GMO seeds. I think it's pretty obvious that they will own the seeds of most of the mass produced pot. They'll GM it so it's resistant to Round-up (also their product) just like all their other **** and Big Agriculture will buy it up and easily produce it. Sure they're not going to own all the seed, but they'll own the vast majority and the price of seed will skyrocket just like their with corn, soy, cotton, etc....

The Outsider wrote:This is going to be one industry it will be hard for them to corner. Sure, you can patent varieties of cannabis but you can't patent cannabis itself. Even if they could somehow destroy the already abundant variety and supply of seeds in the country all someone would have to do is breed some ditch weed over several generations and you have a new, unpatented variety.

They can't patent, say, corn...the most produced crop in the US by far, but 85% of U.S. corn is grown from Monsanto patented GMO seeds. I think it's pretty obvious that they will own the seeds of most of the mass produced pot. They'll GM it so it's resistant to Round-up (also their product) just like all their other **** and Big Agriculture will buy it up and easily produce it. Sure they're not going to own all the seed, but they'll own the vast majority and the price of seed will skyrocket just like their with corn, soy, cotton, etc....

The thing about legalization is that (I assume) there won't be laws against growing it for personal use. Weed isn't difficult to grow, and simple to clone a plant of stands you're fond of.

I'm not saying everyone will be growing pot, but if big pharma/big agriculture drive up the price and/or reduce the quality there will be alternatives for people.

I also don't think it's a feasible option to suggest all the various seeds/strands will be destroyed so the government can corner the cannabis market. There has already been too much proliferation in the domestic market as well as outside our borders. This is especially true if they follow through with the current plan of letting the states decide their own marijuana laws and just getting the federal government out of the business of weed enforcement.

deltbucs wrote:They can't patent, say, corn...the most produced crop in the US by far, but 85% of U.S. corn is grown from Monsanto patented GMO seeds. I think it's pretty obvious that they will own the seeds of most of the mass produced pot. They'll GM it so it's resistant to Round-up (also their product) just like all their other **** and Big Agriculture will buy it up and easily produce it. Sure they're not going to own all the seed, but they'll own the vast majority and the price of seed will skyrocket just like their with corn, soy, cotton, etc....

The thing about legalization is that (I assume) there won't be laws against growing it for personal use. Weed isn't difficult to grow, and simple to clone a plant of stands you're fond of.

I'm not saying everyone will be growing pot, but if big pharma/big agriculture drive up the price and/or reduce the quality there will be alternatives for people.

I also don't think it's a feasible option to suggest all the various seeds/strands will be destroyed so the government can corner the cannabis market. There has already been too much proliferation in the domestic market as well as outside our borders. This is especially true if they follow through with the current plan of letting the states decide their own marijuana laws and just getting the federal government out of the business of weed enforcement.

No, but since they have the big money, agricultural capacity, and land already, they'll grow large quantities and horizontally integrate to become the largest domestic supplier in relatively short order. They can bury the small time growers in the upcoming crash in price. (I'm told it's only $2 per gram in Jamaica)

When they have a large enough majority of domestic production, they'll naturally vertically integrate into the retail market and can market to the half the country that may be curious, but was not willing to risk it until its legal. It'll be a case study in Business 101 if it is allowed to do so naturally. Like I said earlier, if Corporate weed gets only 30% of the market for domestic doob, it'll be worth billions. And then there's the export market.

You and I will grow our own, but most people will be more inclined to swing by the dispensary once a week for a bag of edibles and a disposable vape pen instead of waiting 3 months from seed to bud and then another 2 weeks of drying. It doesn't matter that we'll get 2-4 oz per plant in that time frame because most people won't be willing to take the time and effort to cultivate.

Those are good points, but there will always be a market for people that want 'the finer things' and/or variety (especially with weed as people become educated on the effects of various strands) and small business will cater to that.

I think the craft beer industry is good example for comparison sake. Sure it's more expensive and harder to find than Bud Light. But it's also a better quality product (taste is subjective) so there is large market for it. I imagine the weed market will be similar in that regard. You can always go find some bud light to bring to a party, but there will be times when you want a better quality beer.

DreadNaught wrote:Those are good points, but there will always be a market for people that want 'the finer things' and/or variety (especially with weed as people become educated on the effects of various strands) and small business will cater to that. I think the the craft beer industry is good example for comparison sake. Sure it's more expensive and harder to find than Bud Light. But it's also a better quality (taste is subjective) product so there is large market for it.

Absolutely. There's gonna be hipsters standing around bitching about the good old days when weed was good and insist that some grower in nowhere, Missouri is the only one doing it right, blah, blah, blah.

What I was joking about last night was the boojie marketing of a strain complete with celebrity endorsement to get dumbasses to pay top dollar for it. It'll be like wine. Most people in a blind taste test can't tell the difference between Franzia and a Cabernet from France. Won't stop people from dropping the money for the status symbol.

deltbucs wrote:They can't patent, say, corn...the most produced crop in the US by far, but 85% of U.S. corn is grown from Monsanto patented GMO seeds. I think it's pretty obvious that they will own the seeds of most of the mass produced pot. They'll GM it so it's resistant to Round-up (also their product) just like all their other **** and Big Agriculture will buy it up and easily produce it. Sure they're not going to own all the seed, but they'll own the vast majority and the price of seed will skyrocket just like their with corn, soy, cotton, etc....

The thing about legalization is that (I assume) there won't be laws against growing it for personal use. Weed isn't difficult to grow, and simple to clone a plant of stands you're fond of.

I'm not saying everyone will be growing pot, but if big pharma/big agriculture drive up the price and/or reduce the quality there will be alternatives for people.

I also don't think it's a feasible option to suggest all the various seeds/strands will be destroyed so the government can corner the cannabis market. There has already been too much proliferation in the domestic market as well as outside our borders. This is especially true if they follow through with the current plan of letting the states decide their own marijuana laws and just getting the federal government out of the business of weed enforcement.

I think that's quite an assumption to start with. Also, the majority of people, just like any other crop, won't be growing it themselves. And I don't know where you got the part about destroying current strands. I'm not sure if you fully understood my post.

DreadNaught wrote:The thing about legalization is that (I assume) there won't be laws against growing it for personal use. Weed isn't difficult to grow, and simple to clone a plant of stands you're fond of.

I'm not saying everyone will be growing pot, but if big pharma/big agriculture drive up the price and/or reduce the quality there will be alternatives for people.

I also don't think it's a feasible option to suggest all the various seeds/strands will be destroyed so the government can corner the cannabis market. There has already been too much proliferation in the domestic market as well as outside our borders. This is especially true if they follow through with the current plan of letting the states decide their own marijuana laws and just getting the federal government out of the business of weed enforcement.

I think that's quite an assumption to start with. Also, the majority of people, just like any other crop, won't be growing it themselves. And I don't know where you got the part about destroying current strands. I'm not sure if you fully understood my post.

I was moreso responding the recent posts in the thread by you, Outtie, and MB so some of that post wasn't directed at you or what you posted. I believe outtie mention destroying strands in his response to MB. I was agreeing it's unlikely.

As far as laws against growing plants, I think we can look at the laws in Colorado as an example. You can grow up to 12 plants for personal use there providing they are in an enclosed area. Like most marijuana laws, growing for personal use are becoming more lenient. I don't believe LE is going to be coming after the home grower any more than come after folks that brew their own beer. Now if people are trying to run a business off of their home grown cannabis than I think they risk LE involvement. I agree this is an assumption (as I stated), but I expect this to be reality 10 years from now and would be surprised if marijuana is legal but people are not able to home grow. I can grow my own tobacco and roll my own cigarettes if I desired to, just as I can brew my own beer. Why wouldn't weed be the same? Again, I'm specifically talking about personal use here and not attempting to make it an unlicensed business.

DreadNaught wrote:Those are good points, but there will always be a market for people that want 'the finer things' and/or variety (especially with weed as people become educated on the effects of various strands) and small business will cater to that. I think the the craft beer industry is good example for comparison sake. Sure it's more expensive and harder to find than Bud Light. But it's also a better quality (taste is subjective) product so there is large market for it.

Absolutely. There's gonna be hipsters standing around bitching about the good old days when weed was good and insist that some grower in nowhere, Missouri is the only one doing it right, blah, blah, blah.

What I was joking about last night was the boojie marketing of a strain complete with celebrity endorsement to get dumbasses to pay top dollar for it. It'll be like wine. Most people in a blind taste test can't tell the difference between Franzia and a Cabernet from France. Won't stop people from dropping the money for the status symbol.

It'll be fun to watch.

Even if someone can tell the difference, after a glass or two, they won't give a ****.